Trailside Speaks on The Shutdown of ’18

Hang on for a minute...we're trying to find some more stories you might like.

Email This Story

Send email to this addressEnter Your NameAdd a comment hereVerification

Recently the government has shut down (not permanently). The shutdown began at midnight on Saturday, January 20. A bill failed to pass the Senate 50–49 with the majority of Democrats voting “no”. Five Republicans voted “no” and five Democrats voted “yes” in the Republican majority senate. A government shutdown occurs when Congress fails to pass, or the President refuses to sign, appropriations legislation funding federal government operations and agencies.

¼ of the government has been shut down by President Trump. The partial shutdown of the United States federal government occurred because neither legislation appropriating funds for the upcoming fiscal year nor a temporary continuing resolution was enacted in time. Trump and the Democrats could not reach an agreement about import taxes, so the government is shut down until they can reach an agreement.

This is a photo of a sign about the government shutting down National Parks. The government has been shut down for over a month now.

This had a mixed reaction among the U.S, but the main opinion was that the shutdown was incredibly unnecessary. Why? Oh… we forgot something. President Trump tried to get approximately $5 Billion out of the Democrats specifically for the border wall. They did not oblige. This border wall of his, according to the Democrats, is “Unnecessary, and a waste of money.” This was the reason Trump shut down a part of the government. This is incredibly important to this article. Now we need Trailside’s opinion on the matter.

The reaction was similar throughout Trailside. “I believe that the shutdown is causing an unintended halt on the advancements of the United States,” States Drew Awtry, “The shutdown is not only affecting federal workers, but scientists, researchers, air travel, and our justice system. This shutdown is essentially putting many U.S. services in a state of limbo, thus halting the development of our country.” Austin Fobes has a lot to say as well. “I think that the government shut down will go one for a while but then open back up after about 3-4 months. Over the days, more people stop getting paid, and eventually, people will have to take action against the President.” Some of our own Trailside reporters are struggling with this as well. Sarah Perry and her family are “Trying to financially manage everything and make our groceries last longer now that my father isn’t getting paid. Sarah’s father works at the U.S. Department of State. Eva Lanham is struggling as well.

This is a comical representation of the Government Shutdown. On January 24th, it met its 33rd day.

So far as of January 22, 2019, there has been no end in sight, and some people think this might last a year. So, what would happen? Well, for one, Capitalism would crash, because a lot of the government isn’t getting paid. Terrorist attacks may occur because Airport Security is significantly lowering. Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid, and Veterans Affairs have also been locked down. According to the New York Times: “The shutdown has had mixed effects on government investigations. F.B.I. investigations will continue, according to the Justice Department’s shutdown plan, because ‘all operations of the F.B.I. are directed toward national security and investigations of violations of law involving protection of life and property.’ The office of the special counsel, Robert S. Mueller III, will also continue its investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 election because it does not rely on congressional action for funding. At the Securities and Exchange Commission, though, all but 6 percent of the agency’s approximately 4,400 employees have been sent home, according to a contingency plan.

This is a photo of federal workers on strike demanding the Government be opened up to work. The shutdown started on December 22.

The limited staff will handle emergency enforcement, but much investigative work is not being done.”

So, what’s next? Who knows! We can just all hope that it will get better, slowly but surely.